NANAIMO — A weekend packed with francophone culture will be on full display this weekend at Beban Park Social Centre.
The popular and well attended Maple Sugar Festival, staged by the Nanaimo Francophone Association (NFA), takes place beginning the evening of Friday, Feb. 21 to Sunday, Feb. 23.
Camille Veron, NFA executive director, told NanaimoNewsNOW there is lots to see and do at the annual event staged since 2001.
“It’s a really family-friendly event, like every event we do. Many children here they learn French and it’s really important for them to have some opportunity to speak French, or hear French outside of school.”
French-inspired delicacies like toffee on snow will be served up at Beban Park Social Centre (Maple Sugar Festival)A new kids activities room, food trucks, francophone meals and community market with numerous vendors will be on hand, as will various forms of entertainment.
Veron said their non-profit association prides itself on providing services and activities, including French-speaking lessons.
She noted their organization recently received funding to provide additional support to new arrivals of francophone community to the mid-Island area.
Veron and her family arrived in Nanaimo from France three years ago.
She found the community “extremely welcoming” and Veron is excited to enhance welcoming services to new arrivals to the Nanaimo area with a French-speaking background.
Veron noted their organization recently received a one-year funding contract to bolster services for francophones looking to find their way in the Nanaimo area.
“I want more people to benefit from that and access specific services that you need as a newcomer to understand the new environments and integrate better and faster.”
Activities and entertainment geared toward children is a staple of the annual Nanaimo-based event (Maple Sugar Festival)Julie Cloutier is president of the NFA and a French Immersion teacher.
She said the Maple Sugar Festival has become increasingly multi-cultural, with additional influences from all over the world.
“It’s a way for us to not just focus on just being French Canadians, but also being open to other cultures,” Cloutier said.
Pointing to the growth of the Maple Sugar Festival’s over the years, Cloutier said a lot of time and effort goes into planning and executing the event.
“We take a bit of a break and then by August we start a lot of planning for the next year,” Cloutier said.
A full schedule of Maple Sugar Festival events is available here.
Entertainment will be provided in Beban Park Social Centre’s auditorium. (Maple Sugar Festival)Local news. Delivered. Free. Subscribe to our daily news wrap and get our top local stories delivered to your email inbox every evening.
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